


and i am a material girl

by ImSoSupernova



Category: SKAM (Spain)
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 04:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20057674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImSoSupernova/pseuds/ImSoSupernova
Summary: Viri finds herself bonding with a surprising new friend--Cris's girlfriend, Joana.





	and i am a material girl

**Author's Note:**

> hi y'all! apparently i like to write people bonding over shopping. so here's another one!   
this fic was requested by an anon, who asked me to write about a friendship between joana and viri. the idea of them shopping together was inspired by many discussions i've had about this potential friendship with georgie (@isakeijser) who is wonderful and a genius! <3  
i hope you enjoy!

Viri never really knew exactly what she thought about Cris’s new girlfriend.

It was just that she was suddenly  _ there  _ one day, now a part of their group just as much as the rest of them, sitting with them in the schoolyard and at lunch, and coming to their hangouts after school. Sitting alongside Cris and holding her hand or casually touching her thigh as she smiled and laughed at people’s jokes, although she didn’t really talk much herself. Her appearance, Viri supposed as well, was slightly off-putting. She was pretty, sure, but her purple hair, penchant for black clothes (that more often than not all looked the same), and deep, penetrating stare made Viri feel more than slightly intimidated at times, even though she by all accounts seemed perfectly nice. 

It was odd, though. With her as the sixth member of their little squad, Viri felt even more painful aware of the sort of outsider she was. It was clear that the group, though they were all friends and loved to spend time with each other, had subdivided. Eva, Viri knew, considered Nora her best friend out of everyone in the group, and vice versa. And, of course, Cris and Amira, as childhood best friends, would always be the most inseparable. With the addition of Joana, who stayed with Cris always, Viri felt even more separate from the rest of them, an odd sort of sixth wheel on whatever machine they seemed to be riding.

But Cris really loved her. When Viri watched the two of them interact, through both quiet conversations and meaningful glances, she knew that they were both party to something very deep, very strong, very intimate, something that she would never fully understand. But she recognized its importance, nonetheless.

So Viri welcomed the addition of Joana into their group, and worked to be as friendly to her as either of them would allow.

It occurred to Viri one day that Joana didn’t just wear similar-looking clothes all the time--she really only had about three outfits that she cycled in and out. The realization hit her like a truck, and once she’d thought it, it was the only thing she could think of. The wonder, the question of  _ why. _ The thought that maybe, just maybe, there was something else going on, something she was keeping from the rest of the group. Something Viri could help her with, perhaps. She was certainly no stranger to having limited clothes.

For days Viri broached the subject in her head, trying to muster the courage and the words needed to bring the topic up with Joana. But she could never bring herself to do it, or find the right way to say it.  _ Hey, I know we’ve never really talked before but are you poor? Cause I am, even though you might not know that since I work my ass off constantly to keep that fact hidden from my friends… _ No, it just didn’t work. It wasn’t something you could just  _ talk _ about.

And then suddenly, out of nowhere, there came a moment one day when Viri found herself alone with Joana. Eva and Nora were off finishing a test, and Amira and Cris had just left to run some errand or other. And so it was just the two of them, sitting next to each other on a bench in the schoolyard and draped in an uncomfortable silence. It billowed and expanded, like some third person had settled down between them, squashing both of them aside until they couldn't help feeling out of place, unbalanced.  _ Talk to her,  _ the voice in Viri’s head insisted,  _ say something!  _ But that growing, monstrous invisible person between them seemed to act as some kind of barrier against sound.

Joana shifted beside her. She took a deep breath, slipped her phone into her jacket pocket, and made to stand up. And something inside Viri snapped. “Wait!” She cried, much louder than she’d wanted to. Joana turned to look at her, confused, and she tried to calm herself down, assume a more natural tone of voice. “Um, I was thinking--I could use some more clothes,” she said, opening up the subject, trying to be as casual as possible as she watched Joana’s face. “Do you wanna come shopping with me?”

Joana blinked at her, in surprise, no doubt. But then she smiled, and her expression was totally open, unworried, as she said, “Sure! Let’s go.”

Viri, mind blanking in her shock over Joana’s agreement to accompany her and her totally unplanned excursion, decided to take her to the nearest store she could think of, a nice little vintage shop that still had thrift-level prices. The inside was dark and a little dusty, smelling strongly of incense, faintly of pot. Viri watched Joana anxiously as they walked in, and felt a wave of relief as she saw her smile. “It’s nice,” she murmured, seemingly more to herself than Viri as she took it all in.

They wandered over to one of the racks, a large, circular one filled with shirts of all colors and styles. Viri glanced over the pink ones idly, stopping to examine a lacy pink button-down tank at one point and a polka-dot t-shirt at another. Nearby, Joana swiped through the black shirts, examining each one carefully as she went. The silence between them was growing again, and Viri cast around in her mind to find anything to squash it down. 

“Do you ever--do you ever think about wearing something that’s  _ not  _ black?” she asked, without thinking.

Joana gave her an odd look.

“Sorry,” Viri said awkwardly. “I didn’t mean--it looks good on you! Really! But--but have you ever thought about branching out? Trying something new? Like--like--a red, or--or a nice blue would look so good on you!”

Joana turned to her and said, deadpan, “Viri, I wear black on the outside because black is how I feel on the inside.”

Viri blinked, suddenly worried that she’d made a horrible faux pas. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She said. “It looks good on you, it really does--”

“Viri, Viri!” Joana reached out to take her hand, laughing. “I’m just joking! It’s fine!”

“Oh!” Viri murmured, embarrassed. “Oh! I see.”

Joana smiled. “It’s not like I don’t have any other clothes,” she said, and Viri felt her stomach drop a little at this, confused. But she listened anyway, as Joana continued. “I like black. It’s clean, and it’s easy, and it goes with everything. It’s nice because when I--” She took a deep breath, and then looked Viri in the eye. “When I’m having trouble getting up in the morning, I can just throw something black on and look fine, without having to put in any effort. So it just...works.”

Viri wasn’t any stranger to depressed people struggling to get up in the morning, the seemingly Herculean effort of opening the drawers, shedding the pajamas, finding something decent to wear. She'd dealt with it many times with her father, and sometimes herself as well. “I get that,” she said quietly, “I really do. But sometimes it's nice to have other things as well. Sometimes it helps, to get up in the morning and see something that’s not black.”

Joana pondered this for a moment. “Huh,” she said. “Maybe. Let’s see this red and blue you were talking about, then.”

After a few quick passes over the racks, Viri found a few shirts she thought Joana would like. When she held them out, Joana took them carefully and looked them over, like a scientist examining a new specimen. She stood there, still, until Viri gently guided her to the changing room. Then, she waited outside for her to get dressed.

After a few minutes, Viri began to feel a little concerned. The dressing room seemed completely still, and she couldn’t hear anything behind the curtain. Viri reached out to knock against the wall, softly. “Everything okay in there?”

“Yeah.” Joana’s voice was small inside the room. “I’m--I’m just thinking a moment, that’s all.”

“Don’t think,” Viri murmured back. “Thinking is what gets you into all the trouble. Trust me, I know.”

There was a slight pause. Then--

“Okay,” Joana said.

Viri heard some rustling from behind the curtain. Then a moment later, it was swept aside and Joana stood in front of her in a red buffalo-plaid flannel, unbuttoned over her white, long-sleeved shirt. Viri grinned at the sight. “Well,” she said. “What do you think?”

Joana gave her a small smile. “It’s comfy.”

“Sure,” Viri pressed, “But do you  _ like  _ it?”

Joana turned around in a circle a few times, glancing over at the mirror. As she turned, Viri saw a small smile appear on her face. “Yeah,” she said thoughtfully. “It’s very different, but--I think I like it. I think I do.”

Viri beamed at her. “That’s great!” She leaned over to examine the shirt more. “See, it’s still got a bit of black,” she teased, “and also, it’s pretty comfortable and easy to put on. So if you’re not feeling great when you wake up, you can still wear it.”

Joana smiled at her. “Yeah,” she murmured. “That’s true. That’s definitely true.”

Viri nodded encouragingly. “Let’s see the others, now?”

Joana nodded back, a bit more enthusiastically than before, and slipped back inside.

The next shirt was a light blue button-down with short, cuffed, sleeves. Viri’s eyes opened wide when she saw Joana in it, she looked  _ good!  _ “Cris is going to  _ love _ this one!”

Joana smiled sheepishly. “You think?”

_ “Absolutely,  _ girl!” Viri assured her. “You look amazing. Check out those arms!”

Joana laughed. “Stop it.”

“No, I’m serious! You look so strong.”

Joana flexed tentatively in front of the mirror, and Viri cheered her.  _ “Bam!  _ Look at that!”

“Alright, alright.” Joana was grinning and blushing, clearly very pleased with how this was going. “Next one, then?”

“Definitely!”

Joana tried on a sweater next, a big, baggy lavender cable-knit with sleeves that fell over her hands. “Cozy,” she said as she stepped out from behind the curtain.

“That’s exactly the word I’d use too!” Viri agreed. “And again, it’s super easy to put on, and you look really cute! A great look with almost no effort involved. And just imagine curling up next to Cris with that sweater on, some cocoa…”

Joana smiled, and wrapped her arms around herself, as though she was imagining holding her girlfriend close. “You’re right,” she agreed. “It’s perfect.”

The last shirt was just a t-shirt, red, orange, and yellow tie-dyed. When Joana stood in front of Viri wearing it, holding her arms out slightly in a jokey  _ tada, _ Viri broke into her biggest, brightest smile yet. The vibrant colors in contrast with her pale complexion, her purple hair, gave her a look of such brilliance, such gleaming warmth that it seemed as though the sun itself was emanating from her. Joana, seeing Viri’s face, began to smile back as well. She gave her a small nod, and Viri nodded back. They both saw it, and neither of them felt the need to say anything more.

“So, you like fashion, then?” Joana asked Viri later after they’d been rung up at the shop.

Viri nodded. “Yeah, I do. I just like...seeing how clothes look on people, how just a simple outfit can totally change how people see themselves and carry themselves, how a new shirt or pair of jeans can just give you so much more self confidence by wearing them.”

Joana nodded back, pensively. “Yeah, I--I can feel that.”

Silence. Viri leaned in a bit more, hopefully. “Of course, I--I don’t always have the money to buy like, the latest fashions, or the nicest things. But I try when I can, and--I like to look, anyway.”

“But you paid just now,” Joana murmured, a question not fully asked, but definitely there.

Viri nodded. It was true, she’d paid, and she probably wouldn’t be able to buy herself some new clothes for a month or two. But the smile on Joana’s face as she looked at herself in the mirror, the way her whole demeanor changed when she wore something that wasn’t plain black--it had been worth it. “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t mind.”

“Well, thank you,” Joana murmured, giving her a bright, genuine smile. “One day, I’ll pay you back somehow. I promise.”

“Oh,” Viri said quickly. “You don’t have to--”

“But I  _ want  _ to,” Joana insisted. “We can go get coffee, or I’ll buy you a book, or something, okay?”

Viri looked at Joana, so kind and genuine, so meaningful that she couldn’t help smiling. “I’d like that.”

They were quiet for a moment. Just walking, sharing the occasional smile with each other. But then Joana said, softly, “And one day? What’s your dream about fashion, one day?”

“One day…” Viri sighed. “One day, I’d love to be  _ in  _ the fashion world. But not the world we have now, that’s all about being better than the person next to you and making people who don’t look exactly one certain way feel bad about themselves. More like...a world that’s about making people feel good. Helping people,  _ all  _ people, no matter what they look like or how much money they have, feel like they can be the best version of themselves.”

“That’s a beautiful dream, Viri,” Joana murmured, smiling at her.

Viri blushed and smiled back. “Well, that’s really just what it is, you know. A dream. My dad wants me to go to school for law or medicine or something like that--something that will pay the bills, give me a steady living. So that’s--that’s probably what I’ll do. But I guess I can always dream, for now.”

“Definitely.” Joana turned to face her, a surprising intensity in her eyes. “Viri, don’t feel like you need to lock yourself into anything right now. You’re sixteen! You’ve got so many possibilities ahead of you right now, you have  _ no idea  _ what your life will be like. Maybe you’ll go into those fields, maybe you won’t, maybe you will and you’ll be able to do fashion on the side, who knows! I mean--” she continued, cutting Viri off as she opened her mouth, “a year ago I had no idea I’d be where I am right now--happy, dating a wonderful girl who loves me, mental illness and all,  _ secure. _ With  _ friends.  _ Or at least, I hope so.” She winked at Viri, eyes shining.

Viri felt such happiness, such hope welling up inside her at her words that she could sense tears pricking at her eyelids. “Absolutely,” she whispered, “friends, absolutely!”

Joana beamed at her. “See,” she said. “You just never know, right?”

“Right.” Viri grinned, wiping her eyes.

That Monday, Viri arrived at school a bit early, as she usually did. Slowly, her friends began to arrive; Eva and Nora, already full of laughter as they burst in; Cris and Amira, sharing knowing smiles. Lastly, she spotted Joana across the schoolyard, hurried towards them with a big smile. Wearing a new shirt--something light blue, buttoned down. As Cris greeted her with a kiss and a compliment on how well the new shirt fit her arms, asking her  _ where did you get this  _ and  _ never mind, never mind, I just love it,  _ Joana caught Viri’s eye. And gave her a wink and a smile, just for her. Viri returned it in kind, heart swelling with joy.

When she joined back in, laughing and chatting with the rest of their friends, Viri no longer felt that strange sense of being on the outside, of always just a beat behind or ahead of everyone else. Instead, she felt fully part of the group, in sync, as though some perfect circle had finally been completed.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hmu on tumblr @bijoanabianchi!!


End file.
